Sender-Controlled Remote E-Mail Alerting and Delivery

• US 20080205610A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide message notification systems and methods. Briefly described, one embodiment of a message notification method can be broadly summarized by the following: receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient, the new message having a request for a triggering event to be set such that a notification message for the new message is sent to a second inbox if the triggering event occurs and setting the triggering event if a first messaging device is set by the recipient to allow sender-forced notifications. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A message notification method comprising:

receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient, the new message having a request for a triggering event to be set such that a notification message for the new message is sent to a second inbox if the triggering event occurs; and

setting the triggering event if a first messaging device is set by the recipient to allow sender-forced notifications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification message to the second inbox in response to occurrence of the triggering event.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending a follow-up message to a sender to alert the sender that the notification message was sent to the recipient as a result of the request for the triggering event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

failing to set the triggering event if the first inbox is set by the recipient to prohibit sender-forced notifications.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending a follow-up message to a sender to alert the sender that the request for the triggering event was denied by the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the triggering event includes a time period which is to elapse before occurrence of the triggering event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the triggering event supersedes a triggering event set by the recipient.

8. A computer-readable medium having a message notification program, the program having instructions that perform:

receiving a new message at a first inbox of a first messaging device of a recipient, the new message having a request for a sender-forced triggering event to be set at the first messaging device of the recipient such that a notification message for the new message is sent to a second inbox of a second messaging device of the recipient if the sender-forced triggering event occurs; and

setting the sender-forced triggering event if the first messaging device is set by the recipient to allow sender-forced notifications.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the program further performing:

sending a notification message to the second inbox in response to occurrence of the sender-forced triggering event.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, the program further performing:

sending a follow-up message to the sender to alert the sender that the notification message was sent to the recipient as a result of the request for the sender-forced triggering event.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the program further performing:

failing to set the sender-forced triggering event if the first messaging device is set by the recipient to prohibit sender-forced notifications.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the program further performing:

sending a follow-up message to the sender to alert the sender that the request for the sender-forced triggering event was denied by the recipient.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the request for the sender-forced triggering event includes a time period which is to elapse before occurrence of the sender-forced triggering event.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the request for the sender-forced triggering event supersedes a triggering event set by the recipient.

15. A delayed message notification method comprising:

receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient, the new message having a request for a notification message for the new message to be sent to a second inbox if the message has not been retrieved from the first inbox within a specified period of time;

detecting that the message has not been retrieved from the first inbox within a specified period of time;

retrieving an address for the second inbox; and

sending the notification message to the address of the second inbox.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first inbox comprises an inbox for messages of a first messaging protocol and the second inbox comprises an inbox for messages of a second messaging protocol, the second messaging protocol being different from the first messaging protocol.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first inbox comprises an inbox at a first Webmail server and the second inbox comprises an inbox at a second Webmail server.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

setting a triggering event in response to the request for the notification message such that occurrence of the triggering event results in generation of a notification message to the second inbox.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending a follow-up message to a sender of the new message to alert the sender that the notification message was sent to the recipient as a result of the request for the notification message.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending a follow-up message to a sender of the new message to alert the sender that the request for the notification message was denied by the recipient.